South Milwaukee Blog

Some highlights from Tuesday’s meeting  of the South Milwaukee City Council …

• We recognized the appointment of a new fire captain — longtime former Lt. Glen McCoy. Replacing Lt. McCoy will be John Frost, also promoted from within. Congratulations to both men. Their promotions are well-deserved, and it’s great to see internal candidates chosen for these roles. (Capt. McCoy replaces Joe Knitter, a former captain who was named South Milwaukee fire chief in late 2012.)
• So, with the promotions, there are now two empty firefighter jobs to fill. The council voted 7-1 to not fill those jobs for now, pending the results of an upcoming arbitration hearing over a grievance involving an interpretation of vacation time language in the city’s labor contract, as well as the uncertainty over potential consolidation. I was the one “no” vote. I would rather fill those jobs now, rather than wait on those variables. The department is already stretched thin.
• We also voted to give “first readings” to the ordinances introduced earlier this month around terms for elected officials, and the nature of the city clerk, treasurer and attorney positions. The vote was 8-0 on all of these measures, except for the aldermanic term issue. I voted no on that one, following up on my vote on May 8. I think aldermanic terms should be staggered. The language we voted on does not call for that. I expect final passage of these measures in June.
• There was also an update on the proposal for apartments on Ninth Avenue. The Plan Commission has asked for some changes with the project, including reducing the number of three-bedroom units. Next up, if the developer decides to proceed: submittal to the Community Development Authority. Eventually the project would end up back before the council to handle any necessary rezoning.
• We voted to cancel our July 2 and August 6 meetings, as we typically do during the summer.
• The South Milwaukee Fire Department also honored several of its own as part of Emergency Medical Services Week. I’ll be posting more on these award winners soon.
• And we granted the liquor license request for Spirits.